Burnt Alive for Dowry: A Cruel Reflection of Our Decaying Society

Poonam Sharma
It is 2025. India basks in space achievements, takes pride in emerging as a global power, and talks tall of women shattering glass ceilings in science, politics, and defense. But a young woman in Greater Noida, Nikki, was dragged, beaten into unconsciousness, and burned by her husband and in-laws—dowry. The voice of her little child now rings in the nation’s ears: “Papa killed Mummy by burning her with a lighter.”

If this does not shake our collective conscience, what will?

The Ugly Face of Greed

Despite cars, valuables, and even another vehicle being given at marriage, Nikki’s in-laws still demanded ₹35 lakh more. When her family could not satisfy their insatiable greed, they chose to kill her. Let us call it what it is—not domestic dispute, not “harassment”—cold-blooded murder for money.

This is the disease still consuming Indian families: greed to treat a bride like a bank account. A marriage is turned into a business transaction, and a woman is made a commodity. Families desire the luxury car, the fat cheque, the branded lifestyle—so much so that they are willing to get burnt alive the very woman who was to be their daughter-in-law.

Where is the Fear of Punishment?

The most frightening part is not just the greed but the absence of fear. Everyone knows dowry is a crime. Everyone knows women’s protection laws exist. Yet, Nikki’s husband and in-laws still set her on fire. Why? Because they believed they could get away with it. Because in this country, endless “panchayat compromises,” weak investigations, and years of delayed trials allow killers to breathe free while victims rot in graves.

That is why men still beat, torture, and kill their wives—because the law crawls like a snail while violence sweeps like wildfire. Unless justice becomes swift, merciless, and definite, the dowry fire will continue to burn people alive.

 Society’s Dark Hypocrisy

Here is the extent of our shame: Hindu society worships Lakshmi for wealth, Saraswati for intelligence, and Durga for courage. We refer to women as “Devi,” we pray in front of idols, but at home we beat them, we burn them, we sell them for dowry.

This is hypocrisy. On festive days, the family does Lakshmi Pooja, but everyday they harass the actual Lakshmi of the family—the daughter-in-law—to earn money. What kind of society are we creating when our deeds spit on the face of our own cultural principles?

Divorce Exists, Yet Women Still Burn

This is not the 18th century. Women are no longer chained in chains of illiteracy. Divorce is available. Single mothers are valued. Economic independence is available. The Constitution protects women with laws more powerful than ever before. And yet—why are women still locked in cages of violence?

The ugly reality is this: the families themselves turn into executioners. Rather than instructing their daughters to leave abusive marriages, they instruct them to “adjust.” Rather than saving her life, they return her to the embers of her in-laws’ home. Honor, reputation, “what will people think”—these putrid justifications continue to take precedence over a woman’s life.

A Collective Crime

Make no mistake—Nikki’s murder was not committed by her husband alone. It was a collective crime.

The in-laws who demanded dowry are guilty.

The community elders who pushed for “compromise” in earlier disputes are guilty.

The relatives who knew but kept silent are guilty.

The neighbors who watched violence as routine are guilty.

Every silence is complicity. Every compromise is fuel poured into the fire that consumed Nikki.

Enough Is Enough

How much longer will we let our daughters be traded, battered, and burned? How much longer will India endure families that use their brides as ATMs? How many more kids will see their mothers get torched before we respond with the outrage this requires?

It’s time for three non-negotiable actions:

Fast-Track Justice: All dowry killings should be tried in a special court with judgment within six months. Killers should be given the maximum punishment without delay.

Social Excommunication: Families who insist on dowry should be boycotted. No society, no neighborhood, no temple should give them the legitimacy of existence. They should be given a permanent social stigma.

Courage for Women: Mothers should instruct daughters not to suffer violence but to leave the first time they are insulted or attacked. Better a broken marriage than a charred body.

 The Fire Is On Our Hands Too

Nikki’s death is not just a headline. It is a mirror shoved in our faces. It shows us that beneath our modern clothes and smartphones, beneath our talk of progress and equality, lies a rotting social structure where greed rules and women bleed.

If a woman can still be burned alive for dowry in 2025, then let us own up to the truth—we are not modern, we are not civilized, we are not even human the way we treat our women.

Time for civilized argument is up. Each dowry death is a terror attack on women. And if society, law, and family systems do not retaliate with zero tolerance, these fires will continue burning—not only brides, but the very heart of our nation.